Thunderstorm Wind — Onondaga, New York

1998-09-07 · near Baldwinsville, Onondaga, New York

Event narrative

The derecho that caused extensive wind damage upstream in both Cayuga and Seneca counties continued eastward across Onondaga county. Widespread structural damage resulted and tens of thousands of trees were toppled in northern portions of the county. Direct human impact was also felt. Two fatalities and seven injuries occurred at the New York State Fairgrounds in Geddes. The bow echo complex first entered northwestern sections of the county just after 100 am EDT. It initially tore through the Baldwinsville area, leaving many streets littered with downed trees and utility poles. The storms progressed rapidly towards the east-southeast and affected an area from Clay across Onondaga Lake to Camillus and Geddes from 115 to 120 am EDT. Severe damage was inflicted upon the State Fairgrounds in Geddes. Most of the temporary holding structures or tents on the premises were either completely destroyed or sustained heavy damage. Unfortunately, two individuals who were camping out before the last day of the New York State Fair died that night. A 26 year old man was killed when he was struck by flying debris from a nearby building. A 38 year old man, who was a vendor at the Fair, was killed when a large tree fell upon the tent where he was sleeping. Seven other individuals had minor injuries, mostly cuts and scrapes from flying glass. Three large flag poles at the entrance to the Fairgrounds were bent to almost a 45 degree angle from the force of the wind. Many permanent buildings had roofs torn off, windows blown out, or siding severely damaged from felled trees. In Marcellus and Camillus Townships, an estimated thousands of trees were blown down just in this area alone. The Onondaga Hill section appeared to take on particularly severe damage with most roadways rendered completely impassable from downed trees and live wires. Several homes also had various degrees of siding and roof damage in this vicinity, mainly from falling trees. The storms then took aim on the Syracuse metropolitan area. From approximately 125 to 135 am EDT, the city of Syracuse felt the brunt of the derecho. An estimated many thousands of trees were toppled or damaged throughout the city. One of the hardest hit sections was the Thornden Park area near Syracuse University. In addition to tree damage, there was substantial structural damage (primarily roofs) to nearby homes and buildings. Another fatality occurred in this vicinity when a large tree crashed through the roof of a home and struck an elderly woman who was sleeping. She later died from extensive head injuries. A textile factory had its roof almost completely torn away and many housing units for students at Syracuse University had blown out windows or damaged sections of the roof. St. Lucy's Church, a sturdy brick structure, was nearly destroyed when its western steeple collapsed. Many windows were also blown in at the University Hospital. On the north side of town, an official wind gust to 75 mph was recorded at Hancock International Airport. The storms maintained their intensity as they moved rapidly through the eastern suburbs. Large hail to one inch in diameter was observed by a skywarn spotter in Manlius. Another spotter in DeWitt measured a wind gust of 75 mph. Much in the way of downed trees and structural damage was again reported. A strip mall and fire station both in the town of Manlius had their roofs entirely torn off. Two large antennas just south of Interstate 481 in DeWitt collapsed and interrupted local radio broadcasts. In all, the financial toll from damage fell just short of 100 million dollars. The final day of the New York State Fair was cancelled and the National Guard was called on to help with the cleanup efforts. Onondaga county ultimately qualified for federal disaster funds after officials toured the area and reviewed post-storm damage surveys. These surveys revealed a damage swath 10 to 12 miles long and nearly 30 miles wide. Estimated peak wind gusts were near 115 mph. Hundreds of thousands of people were without power for much of Labor Day. Some customers did not have their power restored for the better part of a week.

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Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5666406. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.